X:2099
by Epeeblade
Summary: It's an alternate universe, where familiar X characters are in entirely different situations, different worlds, and yet the fight for the End of both worlds continues
1. Prologue

X: 2099  
  
Prologue one:  
  
"The Princess is meditating." A quiet voice whispers.  
  
"I'm sure she is," the words floated back, a hint of laughter in them.  
  
"Come now, my lady, let us in. I'm sure Yuz…I mean the princess won't mind a visit   
from her champions?"  
  
"Perhaps you should think of something beyond yourselves. The princess could be   
indisposed." The original cold voice snaps.  
  
Yuzuriha stifled the giggle that threatened to overtake her as she listened to the argument   
outside the gauzy fabric that separated her tent from the priestess'. "What do you think,   
Inuki? Should I go out and see what they want?"  
  
The spirit dog refrained from comment, merely raised his dog-eyebrows at her, not   
moving from where he lay at her feet.  
  
Yuzuriha took that as a good sign and moved across the makeshift room to pull back the   
heavy flap to reveal the three figures at her doorway.  
  
Arashi, the priestess, frowned at such behavior, as she bowed slightly to acknowledge the   
girl. She kept her hands knotted tightly in front of her, careful to smooth her cool exterior   
after her sudden outburst. She, like the two men behind her, was draped in the red-ish,   
gauzy fabric of the Shikaku, each wearing variations of the court uniform.  
  
"Don't be so stuffy, Arashi-chan," the princess teased, reaching forward to gently pat the   
girl on the shoulder. The hidden priestess of Ise shrine had been one of her closest friends   
since Arashi had come to the Shikaku court.  
  
And the two men behind her now, were her champions and also friends. They both   
dipped their heads in her presence, although one of them couldn't resist grinning. She   
knew why, imagine, he of all people needing to bow in her presence!  
  
"Fuuma, Kusanagi." She greeted, using her princess voice before she too lost control and   
dissolved into giggles. "What brings you to my tent?"  
  
"Do we need a reason to sit in the presence of your beauty?" Fumma teased gently,   
ignoring Kusanagi's glare.  
  
"We came to inform you that the Dreamgazer has had another vision." Kusanagi blurted,   
his face blushing slightly as he spoke. He was always so shy, Yuzuriha thought, so odd   
for such a man. He could be so outspoken and direct in other ways.  
  
Arashi gasped slightly at that news, it was what they had come for, leaving the relative   
safety of the Shikaku court to seek out the legendary Dreamgazer. The journey had been   
a long one, and all were shocked to find one frail young boy to be the object of their   
search.  
  
"Another? So soon after he'd already given the oracle my father demanded?" the princess   
asked, her face a startling shade of white.  
  
"He asks to see you." Kusanagi told her softly.  
  
The princess sighed, her usual jovial face suddenly became shuttered and closed. "Come   
Arashi, we must prepare for what he has to say."  
  
***  
All who had accompanied Yuzuriha, the child warrior, as she was called, were present in   
the tiny shrine where the dreamgazer known as Kakyou sat in session. His frail body was   
huddled behind yards of silk and other fabric, carefully arranged to conceal the   
diminutive, yet beautiful young man. The few servants who kept the shrine knelt behind   
him, unobtrusive in his presence.  
  
The princess stood before him, Arashi at her side, along with the spirit dog, as always   
supporting the girl. Her two champions stood on either side of the entrance, as was their   
place. Off in the corner sat Aoki, the court scribe, who chronicled each of the   
conversations between Yuzurihah and the Legend. In the opposite corner, leaning against   
the wall and flipping his ridiculous hat, stood Yuuto, the strange mercenary who had   
joined them halfway through their journey.  
  
All was as it should be, Kakyou thought to himself, regarding the group. "I have had a   
vision, Princess of Shikaku, one that concerns you and your …"he paused here, "friends."   
For it was true, the girl was uncannily attached to her honor guard and servants. More so   
than any proper princess would be. But she was no ordinary princess, after all. She was   
/kamui/.  
  
"What is it, gazer?" she asked softly, her eyes never leaving his own.  
  
"The earth is in danger." He told her simply, "I have seen a future without the green lands   
of our country. Where the fertile mountains become covered with silver slime and the   
waters run foul. Even the air which we breathe, becomes only smoke to poison us."  
  
"Fine words from one who makes his living on dreams." A snide voice cracked the   
powerful speech.  
  
Kakyou gazed at Yuuto gravely, "Disbelieve me at your own peril, Kigai."  
  
Yuuto stiffened suddenly, "Where did you hear that name?" he demanded.  
  
"Oh, from dreams," Kakyou smiled slightly.   
  
"Enough, both of you," the princess ordered, "If what you say is true, how can we   
prevent it?"  
  
The dreamgazer stood slowly, surprising them all, since they doubted he could move   
independently at all. He walked stiffly, as if one not accustomed to it, coming to a stop   
before Yuzuriha. Gently, he stroked her forehead, causing a bright symbol to come alive   
at his touch. "There are always those chosen to battle for the majesty of gods. You, my   
princess, and your friends, are they. You will meet your opponents seven days hence, at   
the seventh hour, if you go to the seven springs of Watasumi."  
  
"Is that how it is? You tell us what to do and we do it?" Yuuto challenged angrily.  
  
"Hush, Yuuto, haven't you learned your lesson already?" the princess chided softly. "Our   
opponents will come to meet us?"  
  
"No, the seven dragons exist in another world. For a short time, you can be pulled into   
their world. Then you must find them."  
  
"How are we supposed to do that?" this time it was Fuuma who challenged the   
Dreamgazer.  
  
Kakyou smiled sadly, "You will find out when you get there. I will give you this." He   
pulled from beneath his robes a tiny sea shell mirror, polished smooth on one side.   
Taking the princess's palm in his own, he placed the tiny object there. "When you have   
need to speak with me, sleep with this under your head, and I will come."  
  
Aoki raised his head thoughtfully and asked the Dreamgazer if he could repeat the last   
part, just to make sure his records were complete. Kusanagi began to groan, bemoaning   
the use of a scribe who couldn't even recall what was last said.  
  
Yuzuriha tuned out the familiar teasing, only half-hearing as Fuuma joined in. "Kakyou,"   
she said softly. At her words the entire room became silent. "We will go. For Shinkaku."  
  
End Prologue One  
  
Begin   
Prologue 2  
  
Subaru Sumeragi frowned at the display that ran across the dimly lit screen, the   
processor that served as his right eye cataloging all the code that ran by in   
neat streaming bits of data. If he couldn't get this code to work by morning,   
he'd have hell to pay with Satsuki Yatohji. And no one punished quite like   
Satsuki.  
  
The door to the lab slid open, the sound barely registering to Subaru's   
otherwise occupied mind, but the deep baritone voice startled him right out of   
his calculations.  
  
"Subaru-kun."  
  
"Seishirou-san," he said in reply. The man had often asked Subaru to give up his   
formality, but he just couldn't do it. It was his last safeguard against the   
feelings that this person aroused within him. It wasn't just Seishirou's   
incredible good looks, or dripping sensuality that caused them, or at least, he   
thought not. He liked to dream that there was sme connection between himself   
and this tall dark almost-friend.  
  
Seishirou slipped through the doorway, gliding into the office in one smooth   
movement. "You are working late."  
  
Subaru shrugged, "I needed to get this finished before tomorrow. You know we are   
putting the final touches on the world network." he tapped the receiver in his   
ear absently, his eyes glancing anywhere but at the dark figure who stared out   
the long window.  
  
"You like the view?"  
  
"Um...yes," Subaru gulped, hoping his voice wasn't too high.  
  
Seishirou looked back at him, a smirk upon his face. The silver shades he always   
wore reflected Tokyo's light back at him. He held out his hand, motioning for   
the younger man to join him at the window. "It is a lovely view," he agreed,   
"The city is stunning at night."  
  
This was true, Tokyo had become the world's center, the stronghold for Beast,   
the most powerful computer ever created. Each building, even the sidewalks   
themselves were infused with the mighty power of the mega-computer. Tokyo shone   
silver, a beacon for the rest of the world.  
  
Subaru had come to the man's side, wanting to move closer, but afraid to. /She/   
hung in his mind, the one woman office gossip said Seishirou was linked to.  
  
Karen Kasumi.  
  
"Why are you here?" he blurted, hoping beyond hope Seishirou had ulterior   
motives for his visit.  
  
"To summon you to a meeting. The inner sanctum, at 2000 hours."  
  
Subaru absently checked his clock. Ten minutes remaining. Three to walk to the   
tube, another 2 for the trip through the shute..."Why didn't you just Message   
me?"  
  
"Now where would the fun be in that, besides, it's the inner sanctum, you don't   
want common employees knowing you were in it, do you?" he chided.  
  
"I guess not," Subaru sulked.  
  
"Subaru-kun," the man asked softly, "Do you ever wonder what we would be, if   
Satsuki hadn't made us..."  
  
"Hush," for once Subaru took control, "You know Beast is always listening."  
  
"Even so, Subaru-kun," he muttered, the lights glittering off his glasses like   
odd pupils, "even so."  
  
***  
  
"I'm glad you could all make it," Satsuki began, stepping down the steps that   
led from the protoplasmic chamber where she either communicated with or made   
love to Beast, depending on current gossip. She tied the dark blue robe around   
her waist with a quick gesture, although she had no qualms about these people   
seeing her undressed. They were her handpicked chosen after all.  
  
The silver and gray room unfolded into a semicircle, monitors making up most of   
the walls. No windows, she detested windows. The five sat obediently around the   
desk that circled the front, forming the base of the room. Subaru carefully   
sitting as far from possible from Seishirou, though nearly everyone knew of his   
crush upon the older man. At least, that's what gossip said.  
  
Karen perched on Seishirou's lap, her arms folded upon her crossed legs,   
appearing totally innocent by her posture. Next to them sat Sorata, who amused   
himself by stealing the coffee cup of the creature sitting next to him. Nataku   
looked puzzled, staring at the place where only moments before, he /knew/ he had   
placed his coffee.  
  
Nataku, now, he was her crowning achievement, her attempt at creating the   
perfect man. Unfortunately, he was sexless, but Satsuki's idea of perfection   
differed from a great many others.  
  
"So, what's the big deal, boss lady?" Sorata chimed, leaning back and crossing   
his legs on the table. He cracked his knuckles, clearly displaying the non   
regulation driving gloves. His headset seems to be crooked and his shades,   
normally reserved for processing data, were pushed back into his hair.  
  
Ah, Sorata, what was she going to do with him? "I have found the 7th member of   
the inner sanctum," she told him. "I'd like you to meet Kamui Shirou."  
  
At her words, the door in the back of the room slipped open, revealing a short,   
slim teenage with unruly hair and brilliant violet eyes. He grinned, half   
leaning against the door. "Hi," he declared.  
  
"Kamui is a telekinetic of the highest order." Satsuki continued in her droning   
voice, "He will make an excellent addition to the circle."  
  
"Now that there's finally seven of us," Sorata chimed in, "what up? I mean, for   
years, you've been going on and on about us needing seven and I was kinda   
wondering..."  
  
"Enough," she commanded coldly. "I've assembled you on the advice of Hinoto-  
hime, the seeress to the government."  
  
"Oh, who needs a government, now that we've got Beast," Sorata cracked under his   
breath.  
  
"She warned of invaders, from another world."  
  
"You mean like aliens?" Sorata again.  
  
"Of a sort. They too possess powers like ours, but instead of understanding it   
as the science it is, the quirk of genetics, they call it magic. And magic is   
dangerous for us, for this world I...we've built."  
  
"Once people believe in a higher power, then nothing we've created will have any   
meaning," Kamui explained, finally coming down the stairs to be at equal level   
with his teammates.  
  
"Besides that," Satsuki continued, "They seek to destroy our world, believing   
nature over science,"  
  
"Damn tree huggers," Sorata quipped.  
  
"Enough!" Karen reached over and poked him affectionately.  
  
"Hey, I thought only Seishirou did the poking..."  
  
Subaru stood abruptly, his chair falling to the ground with a resounding crash.   
He cringed slightly and only said, "Where do we find these invaders?"  
  
Satsuki smiled, a rare and terrifying event, "I thought you'd never ask."  
  
End prologue 2  
  
  
  



	2. Part One

X:2099  
A fanfic by Epeeblade

Chapter One: Arrival

"Subaru-kun, what are you doing?"

Subaru barely suppressed the flinch that accompanied those words. How would he get  
any work done if that man kept barging into his office? He glanced up, meeting that  
irresistible face despite those silver glasses and his heart melted. Not that he didn't mind  
the interruption every once in a while. Nervously he adjusted his eyepiece. "Research,  
I've accessed the Sumeragi clan's digital library."

"And what have you found?" Seishirou asked, leaning back onto the black desk that was  
strewn with computer pads, chips and various half eaten food items.

Subaru found himself blushing, wondering why, and then just snapped his attention back  
to the view screen imbedded into the desktop. He changed the display so Seishirou could  
see it too. "Old legend, of the time of the end of the world. Two great dragons would  
battle, Dragons of Earth and Dragons of Heaven."

"Old legends, really, what would Satsuki think if she saw you now?" the older man's  
deep voice held just a touch of chiding.

"She asked me to look into them," Subaru bit back a little defensively, "If we are going  
against a group of people who think magic really exists it would be pertinent to gain as  
much information on their belief systems as possible."

"You are really too cute, Subaru-kun," he lifted his hand, graceful as he tapped the side  
of Subaru's cheek. "Have you found anything on two swords?"

"Swords?" Subaru's mind tried to latch on to the change of topic.

"Yes, swords, Satsuki told me and Sorata to look for two swords. Something in that  
damnable woman's vision."

Why had Satsuki teamed Seishirou up with Sorata? It didn't seem fair, especially since he  
had requested assignment with Seishirou. He frowned, ignoring the voices in the back of  
his mind that told him there were all sorts of logical reasons for him to not be teamed  
with the man in front of him. Their abilities were too similar for one. And even he  
realized his attraction for the older man could inhibit him in a fight. "No, I don't see  
anything about swords, but I can keep looking."

"Thank you!" Seishirou sank in a childish voice, "And I wouldn't stay immersed in the  
Library for long, you've got a partner and an assignment as well."

Subaru watched him leave, before he keyed into his email, checked the duty roster.

He was paired up with Kamui.

Yuzuriha didn't know whether to cry or throw up and decided that this was the only type  
of situation that could ever warrant two decidedly different types of reactions. They were  
gone, the beautiful springs of Watasumi, the lush vegetation of the forests that had made  
of the island of Kyushu, the land of the Dreamgazer. The seven of them (if you included  
Inuki) stood before a great city, such a city that didn't exist in their world. The place  
seemed weighted down, oppressed by the dim cloud of yellowish gray ash that seemed to  
emanate from a few structures along the horizon. The roads, like the buildings were the  
gray of death, without a spark of the verdant green of life. She tasted iron in the air, along  
with other substances she didn't recognize.

"Well," Fuuma spoke dejectedly, "where do we start?"

"No," the princess said under her breath, "I won't let this city oppress us, I won't let this  
be an impossible task…" She turned to her fellows. "Kakyou said we were to meet our  
challengers in this world. I want to learn as much as possible about this place, find out  
where we are."

Aoki raised his hand sheepishly, then spoke at the girl's nod, "What if, I mean, this just  
occurred to me being the scribe and all….they don't speak our language?"

Another crushing blow to their moral, something she didn't need now. And as Yuzuriha  
looked at the signs along the buildings, she realized, she couldn't understand a word. She  
frowned, "C'mon, Inuki, we're going to find someone who understands us," she strode to  
the streets, the spirit dog following at her heels.

The others looked at each other, confused. "Well, I know one language, /everyone/  
understands." Yuuto chuckled, reaching beneath his coat to take hold of his weapon, a  
bright orange ofuda.

"Are you insane?" Arashi admonished, "I do believe you want to get us all killed."

"Perhaps I do at that, priestess," He snarled, making the word seem almost an insult.

"Um, I think Yuzu-chan…I mean the princess found someone," Kusanagi pointed to  
where Yuzuriha stood chatting happily with a young man, with hair even a brighter  
yellow-blond than Yuuto's.

She pulled him over, "This is Nokoru." She introduced, "These are my friends."

"Ah, charmed," he smiled, bowed to kiss Arashi's hand gently. "Yuzuriha-san has told  
me that you all need a place to rest and refresh yourselves."

"And let me guess, you just happen to have that place?" Fuuma threw in sarcastically.

The young man sighed before smiling and returning to his cheerful state, "Gone are the  
days when I could actually offer my own home. But I can take you to the Tokyo Mission,  
where I volunteer."

"The what?"

"You'll see," he gestured for him to follow and for lack of anything better to do, the  
group did so.

"Do you think he's one of our opponents?" Aoki asked in a loud whisper to Kusanagi.

"And he's leading us to our doom?" Fuuma put in as well.

"Best be on our guard," Kusanagi decided.

Nokuru led them to a run down looking building in the middle of a block of other various  
dilapidated buildings. The sign above the building was again in that strange script they  
could not decipher, but neatly, below it was written "Tokyo Mission," in someone's poor  
handwriting. "Here it is."

Kusanagi nodded to his fellows. "One, two, three…"

The two soldiers burst into the room, weapons drawn and power crackling in the air.  
Kusanagi felt the blood roar within him as he relished finally meeting their opponents…

…who turned out to be an old woman with a group of children.

"Fuuma…" he said softly…

"Um, yeah, I think we screwed up too, Kusa-san…"

Yuzuriha entered, glaring at her two soldiers, "What did I tell you about being overly  
ready for a fight?" She moved to the woman with the children, "Hi, I'm Yuzuriha Nekoi,  
and these are my friends. Sorry if they scared you, they can be like that. We need a place  
to refresh ourselves a bit and Nokoru-san said this place would be good, so, um here we  
are!"

Nokoru decided to make his entrance, "Forgive them, sister, they're a bit out of it."

The woman stood from where she sat, and gently prodded the children away from her  
feet. "Where do you find them, Nokoru?" her voice was melodious, and she dressed all in  
black, her head covered by a black veil with a white hem along her forehead, concealing  
any trace of her hair.

"You're his sister?" Yuzuriha asked confused.

"No, she's a sister, a nun," Nokoru attempted to explain, getting only blank looks back at  
him. "Um, just call her sister."

"You are welcome to stay here for as long as you like, on the condition that you help out  
with the chores," The sister invited graciously. "I'm sure we could use two strong young  
men to help with the painting upstairs."

"That's the least they could do for scaring you," Yuzuriha rolled her eyes at her  
bodyguards. Kusanagi was flushing a deep red and Fuuma merely gazed at the floor.

"Nokoru," Aoki asked, finally entering behind Arashi, "About this script, what is it?"

"You really must be out of towners. That's legal code, the new way of writing we've  
been ordered to take up along with the new way of life dictated by Satsuki Yatohji and  
the Beast."

"New way of life? What do you mean?" the princess asked.

"The silver city," Nokoru gestured outside. "Beast is everywhere, a computer infused into  
even the flesh of the earth. The only freedoms we have are the ones Satsuki dictates. She  
controls the government, takes what she wants and leaves the rest to rot and ruin.  
Luckily, here in old town we are pretty much free from her, but I dread the day the cables  
can reach this far. Where are you from that you don't know this?"

The others looked to Yuzuriha for the lie, "Um, the countryside, very far from here."

"I bet you even live on a farm." He sighed wistfully, "She'll do away with even you, once  
she figures out how to synthesize food."

Barely half of his words made sense, but Yuzuriha recognized a tyranny being described.  
It had to be horrible to create the dark gray monstrosity Nokoru called the silver city. She  
suddenly felt very tired and accepted the young man's offer to get them settled in their  
rooms.

She didn't even notice the dirty walls, merely fell onto the mat on the hard wooden floor  
and was asleep before she realized it. There was nothing to fear, with Arashi beside her  
and Inuki nearby.

"Are you all right, princess?"

"Kakyou, what is this place?" she demanded, in her dreams cloaked in her best royal  
robes, the gold embroidery along the sleeves sparkling in the candlelight.

"It is what mankind has created. As I warned, only you can stop this."

"But it has already happened." She protested, confused.

"It doesn't matter. That is the place and the time for the two dragons to meet. You,  
Yuzuriha Nekoi, princess of Shikoku are one of the dragons for Earth. You are destined  
to fight the dragons of Heaven, those who foolishly aspire for the powers of gods. Very  
soon, you will meet the first of them."

"How will I recognize them?" she demanded.

"They are Satsuki's private forces, her very guard. They too seek the holy sword and you  
must find it first."

"Where is the sword?" she asked, sitting up on her mat and realizing she was back in the  
dingy room at the Mission.

"What is it, princess?" Arashi was beside her immediately.

Yuzuriha shook her kind hand off, "A dream, Arashi, an important dream. Do, do you  
think we could take a walk? I need some air…"

"Of course, take your cloak, I will tell Kusanagi where we are."

They left the mission with a brief warning given by the sister, "Stay together and don't go  
far, you'd get lost if you leave old town. It's the only place with signs in the old script."

They walked around the block, ignoring the piles of trash and the dirty, half-naked  
children who scampered across their path. The princess kept her eyes on the ground, deep  
in thought, Inuki padding along once again at her feet. "What did you dream?" Arashi  
asked softly.

"I don't remember much, I remember being angry with Kakyou for sending us here  
without proper preparation. And…he told me to look for a sword, to find it before the  
enemy does. Arashi, how can we do that if we don't even know where we are?" she  
asked, her voice a near sob.

"Princess, don't despair. When we return we will ask Aoki to use his staff, to consult the  
gods of wind themselves."

"Of course! Arashi, what would I do without you?" the girl smiled, pausing in her steps  
to give her friend a tight hug.

That's when she heard the scream.

"No, don't! Someone help!"

"Arashi…" she glanced at the priestess, who merely nodded at her. "Where is it coming  
from?"

"This way," she ran across the street, Yuzuriha and Inuki trailing after her. Another  
block, then suddenly they stumbled upon a group in shiny black leather kicking a  
crouching figure on the ground.

Yuzuriha whistled and her spirit dog dissipated into smoke, coalescing quickly into the  
form of a sword. Beside her, Arashi had stretched out her palm, calling forth the sword  
sheathed within. "I think it's a poor thing to for many to attack one." She called before  
stepping into the fray, Arashi quiet at her side.

Her words had the desired effect, and even in this strange world, those who were willing  
to attack one without weapons, ran from a nearly equal fight with those who were armed.  
She ran to the boy on the ground, ready to aid him when she heard the deep voice behind  
her.

"So, these must be the invaders from another world. Don't look like much, do they,  
Sorata?"

"Must be somethin' wrong with your eyes, Seishirou, I see a couple of good looking  
babes." Another voice darted in.

"Show yourselves!" Arashi called, just as they were surrounded by an inky darkness.

"Welcome," said the first voice, "to my illusion."

To be continued….


	3. Part Two

X:2099  
A fanfic by Epeeblade

Part 2

"So, nice place you got here, Subaru-san."

Another interruption, Subaru sighed, looking up from his desk, allowing the eyepiece to  
adjust to the dimness of the room and filter images so it was almost like having two eyes  
again. Standing at the door stood the tiny Kamui, his current partner. "Oh," he said softly,  
realizing that he was assigned to work with this stranger and had better be on his best  
behavior, "Thank you, um, you don't have to stand by the door, please come in."

The young man took him at his word, entering the room with a somewhat haughty stride.  
"What are you looking at?" he peered over the screen that blinked up from the desk.  
"And don't you ever put any lights on?"

"Lights, 89," Subaru commanded into the microphone at his lips. How could he explain  
that he liked his office dim? That the interior darkness only served to illuminate the  
brilliance that was Tokyo through his window even more. "I am doing research via the  
Sumeragi family archives, the digital version anyway."

Kamui grinned, "Yeah, it's not like anyone uses paper anymore. So, did you find  
anything interesting?" He leaned over to look at the screen, but found it was all gibberish.  
"How can you read that?"

Subaru turned and stared at the neophyte's luminous violet eyes. "You don't have an  
eyepiece, or even cyber-shades. How do you expect to be of any use to me if you can't  
even interpret a computer screen?"

The boy scowled. "I can get you out of this dingy office for one. You think you're gonna  
find references to old legends on that screen?"

"Well, where else am I going to find it?" Subaru snapped, out of patience.

"Out there." Kamui flung out his wrist, and the picture window shattered. Before Subaru  
could even gasp, the boy had grabbed his arm and leapt out the window, pulling Subaru  
after him.

"We're going to die!" Subaru screeched, closing his eyes as they plummeted towards the  
earth at a frightening speed.

Seishirou fanned out the slim computer chip cards in either hand, tossing them into the  
atmosphere of the hologram, the illusion he was so adept at creating. The chips fluttered  
into large silver hawks, diving towards the two young girls who stood in the center,  
balanced precariously on boulders that weren't really there.

"What sort of magic is this?" Said the younger girl, gasping at the sudden appearance of  
the hawks.

"Jump," The other commanded and the two leapt out of the way of the attacking  
creatures, each now on separate sides of the illusion.

Sorata nodded at the other man, before leaping to the side of the girl with long hair. He  
grasped her sword hand tightly, so she could not strike, "Sorata Arisugawa, at your  
service, pretty lady – once you give up this sword that is." He reached up with his other  
hand and caressed the skin at her wrist. "Your skin is so soft!"

She frowned and twisted her body to send him sprawling with a well-placed kick.

"Well, I was going to play nice, but now you've PISSED ME OFF." He began to  
concentrate, then pointed at her location as a bolt of lightening projected from his hand.

Instead of dodging, she merely lifted her sword and deflected the lightening.

"That's one heck of a sword." He murmured, leaping out of the way of his own  
lightening. "You'd think the metal would have absorbed the heat, or at least given ya a  
shock. It /is/ lightening."

"This isn't metal." She told him, lifting her sword and leaping to attack.

"Hey now, no need to get offensive…omph!"

On the other side of the illusion, Yuzuriha knelt, her clothes torn and blood seeped from  
various cuts. Her 'sword' lay at her feet. She glared up at the stranger with anger.

He merely smiled. "There, that's a good girl," When he reached to pick up the sword he  
was met with a snarling dog. "What?" he gasped, backing away slowly from the growling  
wolf like creature.

"Get him, Inuki!" she cried, as the dog latched on to the man's wrist.

"Hey, Seishirou, got a feeling, these ain't the swords we're looking for?" a voice called  
from the darkness.

"Exactly what I was thinking, Sorata." Seishirou shook himself free of the dog, then  
clasped his hands together, activating another of his famous holograms, this one making  
it seem that he and Sorata faded away into tiny Sakura blossoms.

"We'll meet again, babe," Sorata's voice could be heard as the inky blackness faded  
away and revealed the bright lights of the city.

"If we had not been in the poor quarter, we could have detected the deception earlier."  
Seishirou muttered as the two made their way back to BEAST 0101, the central  
headquarters.

"What the heck are you talking about?" Sorata skipped a bit in front of the man.

"I mean holograms. That sword held by the young lady I fought transformed into a wolf,  
and a physical manifestation as well." He showed the young man his wrist, which was  
marred by a nasty looking dog bite.

"I thought illusions were /your/ specialty." Sorata mused, "And I know what you mean,  
the babe I fought, her sword wasn't even metal, and it wasn't any plastic alloy either, let  
me tell you that. And the creepiest thing…did you see what she did when you recalled the  
illusion? When they thought we were gone?"

"She retracted the blade into her hand." Seishirou grimaced.

Karen was waiting for them when they returned. "Now you guys look like you got into a  
fight. That was more exciting that my day." She sidled up next to Seishirou, wrapping her  
arm around his before pecking him on the cheek.

"Of course, you had to spend it with 'I have no personality' Nataku," Sorata mocked.

"But it just got better, now that you're here." She purred.

"I'm going to call a meeting now." Sorata hopped into the closest transport tube. "Later."

At Karen's inquisitive look, Seishirou sighed, "We encountered the enemy."

"Ah," she nodded. "I thought you were supposed to look for this sword the clairvoyant  
mentioned."

"It started out that way. I think there are too many swords in this story already." He  
started walking towards a tube, inadvertently dragging her with him.

"Where are we going?" she asked, giggling.

"Nothing so crude. I want to ask Subaru-kun if he's got any more information about these  
swords."

"Then you're going the wrong way, he left with Kamui this afternoon."

"WHAT?"

"Stop it," she chided, as the tube slid into motion. "You're planning something."

"What are you talking about, lovely?"

"Oh don't even pretend with me. /Me/ of all people. You're playing him like a fiddle, but  
I can't figure out why."

"Isn't the challenge what attracted you to me in the first place?" He purred, his voice  
vibrating in the small chamber.

For some reason, she found herself shivering in the warm tube.

Subaru discovered that Kamui had better control of his psychic ability than he had  
anticipated, since they were both on the ground and neither of them seemed to be dead.  
After the rather abrupt landing, Kamui led him to a small park, nearly a quarter mile out  
of their way. Subaru gasped when he saw it, the little patch of green so bright against the  
silver, a starling contrast just as the single emerald eye he retained shined from his pale  
face. "What is this place?"

Kamui shrugged, "Ueno Park, what's left of it, that is. I wonder sometimes why she  
didn't plow the entire thing over. Come on!" he called, running ahead like the boy he  
was. Subaru only caught up with him once inside the park.

Kamui sat on a swing, kicking his legs back and forth to keep pushing himself higher,  
ever higher. Hesitantly, Subaru slipped into the swing next to him, but didn't feel brave  
enough to attempt to swing.

Eventually Kamui slowed his ascent and descent enough that he was level with Subaru.  
"You don't swing?"

Subaru smiled at that, "I haven't in years." He reached inside his jacket pocket for the  
carefully secreted box of cigarettes he kept there. Ignoring the look on Kamui's face he  
proceeded to light one. /If he can swing, I can smoke./ he thought pleasantly to himself,  
as he inhaled the scent, thinking of the man whose scent was so similar. "Why are we  
here Kamui?"

"This is the only place in the entire city where she can't hear us."

"She can always hear us," Subaru tapped his earpiece.

"You can shut it off for a few minutes, can't you?"

"Not if I want to see," Subaru answered petulantly, but reached up to switch off the piece  
anyway.

The boy looked abashed at that. "I'm sorry. H-how did you lose your eye?"

Subaru shrugged, staring at the line of smoke as it trailed towards the sky. "It was  
necessary for me to be better integrated into the command systems."

"Satsuki," Kamui said softly, answering the question. "How long have you been hers?"

"Since I was nine." He whispered. "My family's position was no longer necessary in the  
new order. My talents weren't magic, they were un-categorized psychic manifestations. A  
new name for everything."

"Do you believe in magic?" Kamui whispered back, as if even here in this place of safety,  
there was the threat of detection.

"What does it matter?" Subaru declared, tossing away his cigarette, stomping it into the  
dust with his foot.

"It's important. Do you believe in Destiny? I'm here because my mother believed in my  
destiny."

"Where is your mother then?" Subaru snapped back, angry and tired of this useless  
conversation.

"Murdered, by Satsuki Yatohji." Kamui snarled, "And she LET herself be killed, all for  
the sake of Destiny. All for the Holy Sword."

"You hate her." Subaru said softly.

"Don't you?"

It took a moment before he realized they were talking about two entirely different people.  
He stood abruptly. "You mean, you have the sword?"

"Satsuki does." Kamui answered hesistantly.

"Come on, I have to see it," he said hungrily, this time leading the way back to BEAST  
0101 himself.

Behind them, the sakura rustled in the wind.

Arashi frowned from where she stood under the lamppost, facing away from the light so  
as not to obscure her vision, but checking behind her back every so often. Where was  
Yuuto? He should have relieved her 20 minutes ago.

When she and the princess had returned to the Mission, the boy they had rescued in tow,  
the others were shocked that Yuzuriha had come so close to danger.

"Surely princess, you can't allow this to happen again." Aoki declared, carefully  
wrapping the wounds on her arms.

"We'll set up a guard," Kusanagi began to plan, deciding that it was better they should  
have some kind of warning when their enemy would attack.

"Excuse me," the boy, Keichi, called before he entered the upstairs room they happened  
to be using as a war room. "I was speaking to Sister Kotori…"

"Kotori?" Fuuma asked, puzzled. "That's her name?"

"She has a name?" Yuuto commented absently from the other side of the room, where  
once again, he sat in shadows.

Keichi cleared his throat, not really wanting to interrupt, but didn't see a way around it,  
"Yes, it's her name. We were wondering, who exactly are you? And why are Satsuki's  
inner circle attacking you?"

Well, then, that caught their attention. If Keichi knew more about their enemies than they  
did, he would certainly have to be consulted. But not before guard was set.

And unfortunately, Arashi drew short straw, and found herself under the glowing  
lamppost, watching the lowlife of this city walk past and gaze at her strangely, even  
though now she was disguised in the clothes Sister Kotori had given her. She wanted to  
be inside, hearing about this new world, /that/ was the best way she could protect the  
princess, not standing out here looking as if she was advertising herself.

"Well, hello babe, looks like we meet again."

She stiffened, and whirled around, hoping not to see the person who stood there, leaning  
against the wall of the mission, looking completely non-threatening, with an odd cap on  
his head, and long bulky clothes so unlike the blue uniform he had worn earlier.

Sorata Arisugawa.

To be continued….


	4. Part Three

X: 2099  
A fanfic by Epeeblade

Part 3

"We've encountered the enemy and he is us." Sorata murmured under his breath,  
watching as Seishirou stood at the head of the conference table, describing their meeting  
with the two girls from another dimension.

"What?" Karen nudged his arm.

He shook his head, not wanting to explain, and fixed his eyes directly upon Satsuki, who  
sat at the center of the long rectangular table, still connected to Beast through the wires  
and nodules that pierced her skin.

"Thank you, Sakurazuka-san. Your report will be logged and analyzed for our next  
encounter with these invaders. Subaru-san, you had a report?" she asked, settling her  
piercing gaze upon Subaru, who stood in the doorway, bearing a long, covered object.

"Yes. I've analyzed the sacred sword Kamui brought with him." His eyepiece flashed  
briefly, as it changed modes, going from visual to analytical in a nano-second.

"If you had a sword, why did Sorata and I have to go looking for it?" Seishirou asked,  
leaning back in his chair to carefully cross his long, slender legs.

"There are two swords, Seishirou," Satsuki interrupted. "We need the other."

"Well, um," Subaru continued, "I cross referenced the sword with images of artifacts all  
over the world."

"And I suspect you found something interesting?" Karen asked, leaning forward, hoping  
to get a glimpse of the still covered sword.

"Yes." Subaru threw the covering off with a quick flick of his hand. "These markings,  
they appear to be Hebrew, but they're actually Aramaic. I'm in the process of translating  
them."

The others gasped slightly, noting the significance of his words.

"So it's old," Satsuki snapped, "that's all you've told us."

Subaru looked down, abashed. "I need time to do more research. This meeting was earlier  
than expected."

"You have Kamui to help you do research. I expect a timely report at our next meeting."  
She chastised, "Speaking of which, tomorrow we all have an audience with Hinoto-hime.  
She wants to meet Kamui, and I suspect has decided to reveal a bit more of what she  
knows."

Subaru bowed, and moved to the back of the room, away from the center of attention. He  
covered up the sword once again, glad for some reason that the horrible thing was hidden  
away.

"Karen, Nataku, what is your report?"

Karen stood to speak, "We haven't encountered the enemy, but if what Seishirou says is  
true and they are holed up in the Poor Quarter, our work is that much harder. We'll have  
to go undercover, somehow get inside."

"And the two of you have the subtlety of bricks." Satsuki muttered. "I'm going to change  
the teams, Sorata, you go with Karen and Nataku to infiltrate the old quarter. Seishirou,  
you join Subaru and Kamui in researching the sword. We'll convene again this time  
tomorrow. And Subaru-san, you'd better have more information!"

"Yes, Satsuki-sama." Subaru bowed once again.

Kamui stomped angrily into Subaru's office later that evening. "Is she always this mean  
to you?"

"Do you expect to be treated special, Kamui?" Subaru snapped, "After all, it's because of  
your lack of eye-wear that you failed to help me."

"Don't even try to give me a guilt trip, Subaru." Kamui sat on the older boy's desk and  
grinned charmingly up at him. "I want to avoid directly connecting to BEAST for as long  
as possible."

"Gods, where did you come from?" Subaru sighed, dropped himself into his chair and  
adjusted the setting on his screen so Kamui could see its content with his naked eye.

"I've been living in the country-side for the last 6 years." Kamui answered honestly, only  
half glancing at the screen.

"Running from your destiny?"

"Oh, you think you know everything about me, but you don't." Kamui chided. "Just  
because we shared a moment on the swings."

"A moment? Excuse me?" Subaru stammered out, confused.

Kamui reached down, covering Subaru's eyepiece with one hand. "Cover." He mouthed.

Subaru understood instantly. Discussing Satsuki behind her back was never wise, but if  
the two could pass their foray into Ueno Park as some sort of romantic tryst, then the  
better. And he knew this would get out into office gossip as quickly as possible, as did his  
crush on Seishirou. How that had happened, he would never know.

As if his thoughts had conjured the older man, the door slid open and Seishirou stepped  
in. He surveyed the two, noting Subaru's blush, and Kamui's hand caressing his cheek.  
Raising an eyebrow he asked, "Is this a private party, or may I join in?"

Later that evening, Sorata found himself wandering the streets of Old Town alone, hands  
tucked into his worn jeans, feet in tired sneakers avoiding the refuse on the sidewalk. He  
had ditched Karen and Nataku some blocks back, and started heading towards the place  
where he and Seishirou had battled the two girls. That's when he saw her, standing alone  
under the lamppost, her black hair lit up beautifully under its glow.

"Well, hello babe, looks like we meet again." He called.

She whirled around, her eyes widening in shock at seeing him. "You!" she said softly.

"Yeah, me. You don't have to say it like it's a dirty word," he said conversationally,  
stepping closer towards her. She moved back, putting the lamppost between them. "I'm  
not going to hurt you."

"Then what do you want?" Arashi snapped angrily. How could he be here? Had he  
discerned the location of their hiding place already? As he moved away from the Mission  
she realized he hadn't. /Get him away from here, that's the best thing to do/ she decided.

"How about a date?" he asked grinning.

"You've got to be joking!" she spoke before she realized it.

"Do you like okonomiyaki? I know this great place and it's not to far from here." He  
lifted his hands in an attempt to be non-threatening.

"You give your word. You're not here to fight?" she asked again.

"I'm honored that you would trust my word!" He declared happily.

She frowned, "Well?"

He sighed exasperated, "I PROMISE I will not try to kill you for the remainder of the  
evening and our date!"

"Then let's go." She began to follow him, resisting the urge to look back and see if Yuuto  
had finally arrived, or if any of her friends were watching. Keeping the princess safe from  
this boy was the imperative thing. "There aren't any of your friends around, are there?"

He shrugged, "I ditched them on the other side of town. Imagine, Karen and Nataku  
trying to fit in!" He began to laugh so hard he was rolling on the sidewalk.

"Please get up, people are starting to stare." Arashi said softly.

"You know," he realized, sitting up and staring at her. "I don't even know your name."

"Arashi."

"Lovely name," he grinned at her for a full minute before standing and once again  
leading the way to the restaurant.

"So, you're from another dimension," he began conversationally, after they had found  
seats and ordered their meal.

She raised her eyebrows slightly.

"Another world," he amended slightly.

She turned her face away and would not answer.

"I see. You're afraid of giving me any information that might compromise your fellows. I  
admire your strategy. But this won't be a very productive date unless you speak, or at  
least answer my questions."

"Then ask me about things that don't involve my purpose in being here." She answered.

"Ah, touché," he grinned happily. "You know I was raised in a Buddhist monastery."

"How very interesting." She answered in a tone that said she was not at all interested.

He smirked. "If it makes you feel any better, you can pretend that you are getting  
valuable information about this world and the enemy by speaking with me."

"And is your life story supposed to help accomplish that?" she snapped back.

"It just might at that," he decided. "Anywhere, where I come from, they still believe in  
spiritualism and magic."

"What do you mean, where you come from? How can anyone not believe in magic?" She  
replied despite herself.

"Ah, maybe where you're from, but not here. Everything is technology now. Science so  
advanced, to you and many others, it does seem like magic. But even though Satsuki  
Yatohji tried to eradicate all belief in magic from her New World, she's failed. It takes  
longer to change people's beliefs, you see. Where are you from, may I ask?"

"Ise. I don't know if that exists here." She answered without thinking, her mind on the  
very idea of the world without magic.

"Oh, it does." He answered thoughtfully, almost puzzled. Then the food arrived and they  
were silent for several moments as they ate. "Ah, there is nothing like Southern style  
okonomiyaki." He gushed, patting his stomach. "You know, you are very lovely."

She looked down at her plate and did not reply.

"Where I was raised, the man who really raised me, Old Stargazer, he gave me a  
prophecy before I left. Now I don't know if you can call it magic or prescience, as  
Satsuki does, but that man was never ever wrong when he gave a prophecy. He said,  
Sorata," Sorata began to imitate the old man, his forehead wrinkling and his voice  
dropping several notes. "don't fear death, for you will only die for a woman. Now, I can  
only hope he didn't mean Satsuki, for I sure as heck don't wanna die for /her./"

Arashi smiled despite herself. "Is she so horrible looking that so many fear her?"

Sorata laughed, "That's cute, a joke. It's not her looks, babe." He suddenly became  
serious. "You've got good reason to fear Satsuki, don't let anyone tell you otherwise.  
You might be safe here, but not for long. What she wants, she gets and she wants you and  
your friends."

"And to cause the destruction of the world." Arashi snapped annoyed.

"I thought that's why you guys were here." He asked, "To change our world order."

She frowned at him. "I think your world could stand for a change. Nobody I've met  
seems to like what that woman has done."

Sorata grinned, "Aw, look at us, on opposite sides! Isn't it so romantic! Like one of those  
dramatic Western tales! What was it, Juliet and Romeo?"

"You are so strange!" she declared, standing. "How can you speak of romance!"

He reached up and grasped her hand in his own, and her skin was just as soft as it had  
been in Seishirou's illusion. "C'mon, don't you feel a spark between us?"

She pulled her hand away, "Not unless it's your lightening."

He grinned. "You want me, don't you!"

She gaped at him, unsure how to respond. "You're impossible. Now if you excuse me…"

"You have to get back to your lamppost." Sorata grinned. "Would you like me to walk  
you back?"

"No!"

He walked her to the front of the restaurant, grinning, "Well, I will pay the bill then, since  
I invited you, but next time, you will treat me!" he declared, then leaned forward.

"What are you doing?"

"Waiting for a kiss. Proper payment for a date, don't you think?" He closed his eyes and  
puckered up. To his surprise he felt the briefest whisper of lips against his, then he was  
floored by an enthusiastic punch to the stomach.

"I owe you nothing now!" she called, allowing the restaurant door to swing shut behind  
her.

"What a woman." Sorata grinned to himself, staring at the empty space from where he  
sat, sprawled on the floor.

Satsuki knew he was there, in her chambers, hidden in the shadows. He knew he couldn't  
hide from her, here in her element, deep within the bowels of BEAST. But then again, he  
was the only one who knew exactly how to get to her private rooms, how to bypass the  
security systems. He was the only one she let in these rooms, once long ago. But she  
hasn't seen him in such a long time.

She stepped out of the synchronization chambers, the wires and green bio liquid  
retracting with a loud suction noise. Though she was no longer physically connected to  
her BEAST, she had only to say the word and it would answer her command. She  
reached for her robe and slid her naked body within its folds. Only then did she turn to  
the stranger in her rooms.

"Well, what brings you here, Kigai Yuuto?" she asked softly, turning to face him fully  
and shining the lights directly upon his blond form.

He grinned up at her. "Why, you do, my dear Satsuki."

To be continued.


	5. Part Four

X:2099  
A fanfic by Epeeblade

Part 4

"The Sakura really don't show their best this time of year." Seishirou commented, as he  
and Subaru walked through the remnants of Ueno Park. They had just finished submitting  
their research and report to the main computer system, and Subaru had been shaken by  
the findings. Seishirou commented that a walk might help, and made it clear that Kamui  
was NOT invited.

It was the little teenager that had disturbed Subaru in the first place, after all.

"I guess." Subaru said softly, walking along the footpath through the grove of trees.

"Do you like Sakura?" Seishirou asked softly, wondering how the boy would react.  
Would he remember?

"No-Not particularly, Seishirou-san." He answered softly, shuddering slightly. "All I  
remember, from that day Satsuki first claimed me, was the fluttering of Sakura petals,  
and my sister…" he stopped overcome.

Seishirou hid his smile. "You have a sister?"

"HAD, a sister. She was executed with the rest of the Sumeragi's." Subaru said softly.

"Poor child," Seishirou said softly, reaching out to gently stroke the boy's soft hair.  
Subaru froze under the touch.

"S-Seishirou-san, please, don't," he pulled away quickly, clasping his arms about  
himself.

"Why not?" he asked crisply, slightly irritated.

Subaru shrugged. "Doesn't it bother you? The end of the world? And Kamui at the  
center…"

"That boy is trouble." Seishirou commented, "Don't let him seduce you."

Subaru met his eye and grinned, "Why not? Wouldn't it be nice for once, to have  
someone special…"

"It is, Subaru-kun," Seishirou leaned forward, grasping Subaru's shoulders and placing a  
soft kiss upon his lips.

"Wha…" he began to say, but was silenced by Seishirou, as the man began further  
attacking his lips, devouring the sweet taste like a man deprived of water.

"What about Karen?" Subaru asked softly.

Seishirou shrugged, "That's sex, she understands that better than I do."

"And what is this?" Subaru began angrily.

The older man smiled and spun the boy around, to see, among the grove of naked, silent  
Sakura, one tree in full bloom. Seishirou began to spin his spell. "There is something  
special about you Subaru, about the two of us together and nothing Satsuki does can erase  
the existence of true magic, nor dispel the power of the Sakurazukamori. So now, you are  
going to do something for me, and not even know this conversation has occurred…"

"Arashi! Where were you? Yuuto left ages and ages ago!" Yuzuriha exclaimed, as the  
older girl walked into the Mission.

"Two hours ago, in fact," Aoki put in. The two sat on the floor of the main room,  
surrounded by several children, and were engaged in a competitive game of tidally-  
winks, although these children called it ping, or pong, or something odd. Aoki was up  
two chips though, and was quite pleased.

"Yuuto never showed up," Arashi frowned, "I've been … diverting one of the enemy.  
One of the men we fought earlier, princess."

"Oh, Arashi, are you all right?" The girl leapt up to check her friend for wounds.

"I'm fine. He only wanted to … talk. I'm more worried about Yuuto."

"I will summon Fuuma and Kusanagi." Aoki stood, upsetting his cup of chips. He  
frowned, but then scampered up the steps.

The door along the back of the main room opened and Sister Kotori entered, her long  
blond hair free from its usual veiling. "Children! You should be in bed," she scolded  
gently.

"Wow, you look really different without your uniform." Yuzuriha commented, helping to  
clean up the spilled chips.

"It's called a habit." She sat on one the small, child sized chairs along the wall. "What's  
wrong, are we in danger?"

"I don't know. Yuuto has gone missing," Arashi said softly. She looked up at the loud  
footsteps and met the three men as they came down the stairs, Fuuma and Kusanagi  
tucking their weapons into their belts.

"We'll look for him princess." Kusanagi declared, taking a moment to bow before  
Yuzuriha.

"He's probably up to no good," Fuuma declared, clenching his fists angrily.

"Or he could be in trouble!" Aoki declared. "Arashi already has met one of the enemy,  
why not Yuuto?"

"Aoki-san is right." Arashi told them. "We should go look for him."

"You can't, it's after 11, and that's curfew. If anyone sees you, you'll be arrested  
immediately." Kotori told her.

Arashi frowned, obviously there were stories exchanged while she was on her "date" with  
Sorata. Consequently, she was left with less information than her companions. "You're  
going to have to explain a few things to me," she sighed softly.

Before the others could move, the door banged open. "Arashi! There you are! Are you all  
right?" Yuuto had come home on his own.

"Yuuto! We were going to go out looking for you!" Yuzuriha declared. "What  
happened?"

He closed the door with a quick motion. "I went out to relieve Arashi, to find she wasn't  
at her post. Expecting the worst, I began searching for her."

"Why didn't you come and inform us?" Kusanagi declared angrily. "You could have  
been walking into a trap, and no one would have known what had happened to you."

"Sorry," And for once, Yuuto did actually look contrite. "I'm accustomed to working  
alone. But, Arashi, what happened to you?"

Arashi explained once again.

"All that's important is that we're all here." Yuzuriha decided. "I'm going to attempt to  
contact Kakyou. You guys, fill in Arashi on what we discussed while she was on post.  
Then get some rest."

"I will take final watch," Kusanagi told them, posting himself at the window, since the  
curfew prevented him from going outside.

"Good night," Yuzuriha told them before climbing the steps.

After their meeting, Satsuki and the inner circle traveled to the Diet building to visit the  
seeress, Hinoto. Sorata wondered if he was the only one disturbed at Subaru's report  
earlier that day.

"I've collected this information from various sources, but you can read the bibliography  
in the report." Subaru took a deep breath before he began to impart his disastrous news.  
"The world is predicted to end two days from now, on the eve of the millenium. Kamui,  
and I mean the title, not the name, /the/ Kamui will fight the final battle for the fate of the  
earth."

They had argued, Sorata remembered, now walking through the polished hallways of the  
Diet building, over Subaru's interpretation of the facts, and if they were truly the 7  
chosen warriors. Kamui seemed most upset, Sorata guessed it was hard to tell a 15 year  
old that he would be responsible for the fate of the earth.

"Wait until Hinoto speaks." Satsuki had told them, "As a prescient, she has a better idea  
of the future to come than any hidden texts or legends. I wanted Subaru to do this  
research to show the belief system we are dealing with. We need crowd control, I don't  
want the city going insane, thinking the end of the world is nigh."

"The New Year's celebration will go on as planned then?" Seishirou had commented.

"Of course." Sorata repeated Satsuki's words under his breath, as they were shown into  
the great room.

Hinoto sat upon a divan, surrounded by various pillows and her long, flowing white robes  
that made her look smaller, instead of larger. She peered at all of them with sightless red  
eyes, examining them in her mind's eye.

/It is good Satsuki, you have brought them. Though I only need to speak to Kamui./ her  
voice echoed through their minds.

Kamui slowly came forward, and knelt at her side. "My mother told me I should seek you  
out," he said softly.

/You have the sacred sword?/ she asked.

"Yes,"

/There is something important you must know. You still must choose which side to fight  
for./

"What do you mean?" Kamui asked, puzzled.

/The battle is humanity against the earth. You must choose which is more important to  
you. Either way, you must fight, but only you can decide what to fight /for/./

"Oh great." Kamui replied.

/Tomorrow is the day of choosing, in preparation for the Final Day. Whatever you  
choose within your heart, it will be so./

"So, like he doesn't even really have to do anything!" Sorata interrupted.

/Destiny will be appeased./ Hinoto agreed.

"The future is /not/ written in stone." Satsuki argued. "You've proved that yourself,  
Hinoto. When given fair warning, it can be changed."

The little seeress began to laugh, /See then if you can change his fate Satsuki, your own  
fate! I will be much pleased to agree with you then./

"What do you know of my fate?" Satsuki scoffed. "You are an anachronism, old woman.  
Soon, BEAST will be able to calculate the probability of history faster and more  
accurately than your little visions, and then you will be of no more use to me."

/Pride cometh before a fall, Satsuki Yatohji!/ Hinoto's voice followed them out into the  
corridor.

Satsuki turned to Kamui, "I hope you know your heart, boy. I want to know whether to  
fight with you, or kill you myself."

Kamui frowned, "My decision will be made independent of /you/. As for killing me, I'd  
like to see you try."

She laughed, "Don't tempt me, child, don't tempt me."

Yuzuriha found herself once again on the island of the Dreamgazer. This time, however,  
they were in a more private setting, the lamps low, and Kakyou reclining amid the  
cushions where he slept.

"So you visit me again princess. It is good, since this is the night before the day of  
choosing."

"What do you mean?" she asked, puzzled.

He sighed, pulling his long blond strands out of his face. "Tomorrow the Kamui will  
choose his fate." He laughed at that. "But I know what his choice will be. Do you still  
wish to save the earth, Yuzuriha? Fight for the wilds of our world?"

"Of course!" The young princess snapped, impatiently.

"Then listen. There is something wrong in my gazing, and I cannot see where. You were  
born on the day of the 7 immortals. I thought you would be chosen as Kamui's  
twin…now I am not so sure. No matter what happens, child-princess, you must aid the  
twin Kamui. If you do not, the earth shall fall."

"How will I know the twin Kamui?" she asked softly.

"He will hold the sacred sword."

"Thank you…" Yuzuriha said, and then realized she lay upon her pallet in the dark room  
above the mission. Arashi was sound asleep behind her. "Why does that /always/  
happen?" she muttered to Inuki, who only stared at her, puzzled as well.

The door began to creak open slowly, and she looked up startled. Then she relaxed and  
smiled as she realized who her visitor was. "Follow me," He said softly.

She got up, moving carefully so not to wake Arashi, "Inuki, stay!" she commanded her  
spirit dog before moving out into the hallway. "Where are we going?"

"There is an empty room here," he pulled her inside, the room no bigger than a closet and  
crushed her close to his body, covering her cheeks with gentle kisses. "We can finally be  
alone."

She giggled and snuggled next to him. "At last…"

"Fumma," she murmured, cuddling close to his warm body.

To be continued.


	6. Part Five

X:2099

A fanfic by Epeeblade

Part 5

Kamui woke up hugging his pillow tightly to himself and murmuring into the soft fabric.  
He rolled over onto his back, staring up at the gray ceiling of his dormitory room in the  
BEAST complex. Today was the day of choosing wasn't it? He looked back at his pillow,  
slightly moist from drool and sweat. He sat up abruptly, his path suddenly clear to him.  
Soon he dressed and headed down the halls.

Subaru was normally in his office, no matter how early or late it was, in fact, Kamui  
rather suspected that the older boy never left. He recalled seeing a cot tucked away into a  
far corner of the room. He entered it now, as usual, without knocking. The office stared at  
him, quiet. Guiltily, he surmised the window he had broken, now completely repaired,  
thanks to BEAST. His eyes ran over the desk, the chair where Subaru usually sat, then  
beyond, past the shelves, in the corner, Subaru cuddled cutely in his cot.

"Subaru," Kamui whispered, shaking the boy awake.

Subaru looked up at him confused, he didn't recall getting much sleep the night before  
and really couldn't remember why. "Kamui?"

"Yes, listen, Subaru, I like you a lot,"

"Um, that's nice, Kamui," Subaru said softly, nuzzling his pillow, he still was not yet  
fully awake.

"And I hate what's been done to you, and I wanna make sure it'll never happen to anyone  
like you again. But I especially hate that you've been hurt," Kamui reached forward,  
brushing the soft black locks away from the implant over Subaru's right eye socket.  
Hesitantly, he touched his lips to Subaru's forehead, then his cheek, carefully moving to  
place a gentle kiss upon his lips.

Subaru snored delicately.

Kamui grinned and turned away from him, meaning to leave the office. Seishirou stood  
in the doorway, frowning at the smaller boy. Kamui only grinned at him and said, "A  
choice has been made."

Fuuma carefully made his way down the steps to the first floor of the Tokyo Mission. He  
had placed Yuzuriha in her own room and she had fallen back asleep quickly. The rest of  
the party were, he assumed, all still asleep, and he had no desire to wake them or the  
children in the Mission. He grinned to himself to see Kusanagi still standing guard beside  
the window, through which daylight was just beginning to emerge. "Hey," he whispered,  
"Do you want me to relieve you?"

Kusanagi turned back to face him, "Nah, I'm fine. Everyone'll be up in a bit, besides,  
Sister Kotori's making breakfast in the kitchen."

"Sounds good." Fuuma turned back to his friend, a worried expression on his face. "I  
have an odd feeling, something's going to happen today…"

"That's what we're here for," Kusanagi decided.

Fuuma shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts, "Well, I want you to know, in case  
something happens to either of us, that it was a pleasure serving with you…and being  
your friend."

"Fuuma, don't talk like that," he shivered, the words disturbing him for some reason. It  
was like Fuuma was already dead.

"Just promise me you'll protect her, in case anything happens to me."

"Of course!" Kusanagi declared.

"Thank you," Fuuma smiled, turning to get some breakfast in the kitchen. "Hello sister,"  
he greeted.

Kotori looked up from the stove, cooking for such a large brood was difficult, but she  
hadn't wanted to disturb anyone else. Truthfully, she liked the quiet times in the morning,  
preparing food for her children, and the adults who often wandered in. "Good morning,  
Fuuma. Are you hungry? There is plenty here." She deftly made him a platter of a  
variety of foods, placing it on an empty spot on the table.

Fuuma picked up a fork, staring at it for a moment as if unsure what to do with it.

"Sorry, the church supplies only had Western utensils," she grinned, "Would you like a  
knife?"

Fuuma looked slowly up at her, and his eyes began to glow. "Please." He growled.

"So Kamui, I hoped you made the right choice," Satsuki greeted him cheerfully.

"Why are you so happy?" Seishirou, who stood behind Kamui asked. The two had  
stepped out of Subaru's office in order to … talk, but they had been interrupted by  
Satsuki herself, actually walking down the hallway, which she rarely ever did. She  
preferred to stay within her synchronization chamber and communicate with her circle  
via earpiece messenger.

"Because I know where the enemy is," she grinned, looking almost sinister in the buzzing  
fluorescent lighting. "And we are going to make a frontal assault after lunch. Except for  
you Kamui."

"I know. I must await the other /Kamui/." He agreed, knowing that there was only one  
destined fight.

"And I don't want you getting killed accidentally by one of the enemy." She grunted. "I  
have plans to make. See you at lunch!" Flashing them a victory sign, she bounced down  
the hallway. Truly a frightening sight, Seishirou thought.

Something was leaking out of the kitchen. It tickled Kusanagi's peripheral vision, and he  
blinked, wondering if he was suffering delusions from a lack of sleep. He turned away  
from the window and confirmed that something red was sliding under the kitchen door.  
He paled, inwardly denying what that substance could be, and slowly, slowly, he walked  
toward the kitchen and flung the door open before he lost his nerve.

He clasped his hand over his mouth to keep from retching.

Fuuma sat atop the table, carefully polishing a long, golden object, like a sword, but  
looking far too large and ornate to be useful. He had his legs crossed and was humming a  
tune under his breath.

But lower, just under the table, rested Kotori's head, which started at Kusanagi with a  
fearful expression upon her face. Her legs were near the fridge, one arm on the stove, her  
torso in various bits along the floor, which was covered with her blood, sinking into the  
wooden floor.

Kusanagi stepped back, swallowing hard at the suction sound his feet made. "Fuuma,  
what have you done?"

"/I/ am Kamui," Fuuma hissed, raising his head slowly to gaze at his former friend. His  
eyes glowed a bleak red and flashed suddenly. "She carried the holy sword within her. I  
needed to get it out." He shrugged, and went back to cleaning the sword, which was  
difficult since the cloth he used and all of his clothes were blood soaked. "Gather the  
dragons, the first wave will be here soon."

"What?" Kusanagi swallowed hard.

"Do as I say, unless you /want/ to be the first dragon to fall."

Kusanagi turned and ran.

"I don't believe you," Yuzuriha had told him when Kusanagi went to wake her up. Now,  
she stood in the doorway, staring horrified at the man she had loved. "Fuuma" she  
whispered, bravely stepping forward into the muck. Her foot hit something and she  
looked down to see Kotori's arm, still clutching a kitchen knife. "Ah!"

"I am /Kamui/" he told her simply. "Get ready for battle, Princess," he leapt off the table,  
swinging the sword in a half arc as he did so. "The others are coming."

Yuzuriha's eyes filled with tears. Fuuma was the /Kamui/ Kakyou had spoken of, but the  
Dream Gazer had never once mentioned the cost. She too, fled the scene, running into  
Arashi's arms where she sobbed and sobbed and sobbed….

"There it is!" Karen called enthusiastically, emerging from the transport vehicle along  
with Nataku, Sorata and Seishirou. Satsuki stayed inside, once the others left, the vehicle  
began transforming into something else entirely. This was the only way she could bring  
BEAST into Old Town, but he was no less effective. Thank Bill Gate for wireless  
technology, Satsuki grinned, releasing the controls and letting the wires merge with her  
body.

In front of the mission stood Kusanagi and Aoki, each guarding the Mission while  
Yuzuriha and Arashi shooed the children out the back with Keichi. Hopefully they could  
hold the enemy off until their return.

"Kusanagi-san," Aoki gulped, seeing the large machine that crept closer to the mission. "I  
don't know if we can do this…where is Yuuto?"

"He's behind us, in the main room with Fu— I mean, Kamui. Get ready, one, two, three!"  
Kusanagi gasped.

As Satsuki's inner circle approached, Kusanagi slammed his fist onto the ground, calling  
for the earth which he knew was not far below, despite being covered by concrete for so  
long. Cracks began to form in the concrete, then one long green stem emerged, and grew  
so quickly it caused the entire sidewalk to crack. The weed roared into the air, then  
slammed down in the path of their opposition.

"Move!" Seishirou commanded, and they scattered.

"Allow me!," Karen cried, blowing a kiss at the weed, which suddenly burst into flames.

"Argh!" Kusanagi screamed at the pain, clutching his head.

"Move, Kusa-san, now!" Aoki grasped his arm, and leapt into the air, the wind he  
summoned carrying them past the danger of the burning weed.

That was when Fuuma and the others decided to join the battle.

"Go, Inuki!" Yuzuriha summoned her spirit dog, who chased after the strange young man  
with the long flowing cloth.

Arashi summoned her sword gravely and faced off against Sorata, who merely stared at  
her, his hands clenched in his pockets. "Do you truly want to fight me?" he asked softly.

By way of answer, she leapt at him, her sword blazing.

"I'll take the creepy guy, you go after the tank," Yuuto told /Kamui/ softly, before racing  
into the fray.

Seishirou smiled at the blond man, waved his hand and an inky blackness surrounded  
Yuuto. "Welcome, to my illusion."

"Wind only aids me," Karen told Aoki, sending licks of flame at him and Kusanagi, who  
still attempted to regain his strength after the shock of the plant's pain.

Aoki regarded the girl sadly, as she stood, flame running from her fingers. He raised his  
wind staff and began to command it. "What is fire," he gasped, "without air?" He  
summoned the air from around Karen, creating a spherical vacuum around the pyro-  
kinetic, causing her to fall to her knees, clutching at her throat in shock.

/Kamui/ raised his sword, and easily sliced through the first wave of wires that came after  
him. "Is that the best you can do?" he teased, leaping forward and sliced through the tank.

Satsuki gasped, rolling out of the shattered vehicle, holding on to her shattered arm.  
"BEAST!" she cried. The tank shuddered and burst into flames, the best thing she could  
do was disconnect from the main network, else she'd cause her precious baby some pain.

Seishirou suddenly blinked into being again, Yuuto unconscious at his feet. The foolish  
boy was only unconscious because Satsuki had ordered it. "I'll kill you later," he told the  
prone body, before turning to defend Satsuki. "Really," he said to /Kamui/ "you have no  
sense of style. Blood looks best on black. With those garments, it just appears to be tie-  
dye."

"Seishirou, get me out of here!" Satsuki growled, standing up.

"And leave the others?" he laughed, flinging a few chips at Fuuma/Kamui, who dodged  
the birds at first, then was hit from behind as the birds swooped forward for another pass.  
With the other hand, Seishirou wove an illusion that covered his and Satsuki's escape.

Karen fell to the ground, her lungs had collapsed. Aoki ran to her side. "I'm sorry," he  
told the dead body. "So young."

"Look out!" Kusanagi cried as Nataku lunged at Aoki, Inuki still attached to his leg. The  
cloth caught Aoki's leg, slicing it clean above the knee.

"No!" Yuzuriha screamed. "Inuki, strike!" The spirit dog released the artificial creature's  
leg, took a step backwards, and then plunged through Nataku, taking its heart with him.

/Kamui/ frowned at the chips at his feet, which were all that resulted from the birds he  
had slashed. He grinned as he looked up for more opponents, seeing Sorata and Arashi.  
She would strike and he would leap out of the way, never attacking, only dodging. He  
grinned. "That one has a wish," he snarled, running towards Arashi, then diving towards  
her, his sword above his head ready to strike.

"No!" Sorata cried, leaping between the two. He felt the sword bite into his shoulder and  
the world slowly went black.

Arashi rolled backwards with the force of Sorata landing on her, from the pain lancing up  
her right arm, she surmised she had been hit as well. She decided to be still, in the hopes  
that /Kamui/ would think her dead.

"Fuuma!" Yuzuriha screamed, watching her lover attack her best friend.

"All of you will only get in my way. All that matters is Kamui," he growled as he pulled  
his sword from Sorata's body and then pounced upon Yuzuriha.

"No!" the girl screamed closing her eyes as she ducked. The last thing she saw before she  
threw up her hands was the bright gold sheen of the holy sword and the bright, glowing  
eyes of the being that was once Fuuma.

To be continued


	7. Part Six

X:2099  
A fanfic by Epeeblade

Part 6

Subaru and Kamui waited on the roof of the BEAST building. Subaru stood at a terminal,  
his earpiece synched with the systems of the entire complex. Kamui stood at the edge of  
the roof, staring off into the horizon. "He's coming," he said softly.

"I've got it covered," Subaru answered, his fingers flying over the keypad. "Force shields  
are up. Laser rifles loaded. As soon as he reaches 100 meters, they'll be locked on his  
position."

Kamui turned away from the edge and walked towards Subaru. "That won't kill him, you  
know."

"It's just enough to slow him down, maybe wear him down before you finally fight him."  
Subaru decided, configuring some more defense sequences.

"Subaru," Kamui said hesitantly, "I wanted to tell you something."

"Hmm?" Subaru looked up, his first instinct was to tell Kamui to leave him alone, he was  
busy with the defense systems that just might save /his/ life. But he quenched that  
response. "What is it, Kamui?"

"You're a good person," the boy whispered softly. He lifted a hand, gently grazed it  
along Subaru's left cheek. It would be unfair to give Subaru any promises of love or  
affection now, not when he might be dead within the hour. "Please, promise me you'll  
fight her, don't let her consume the world."

Subaru sighed, "I'll do what I can."

Kamui nodded, that was all Subaru could promise. He turned back to the horizon, lifting  
the sacred sword in one hand, and lifting both arms out at his side, the one with the sword  
looking unnaturally large. He lifted his head back and accepted the power of /kamui/.

Subaru gasped, as a set of brilliant angelic wings emerged from Kamui's back. Somehow  
cutting cleanly through his uniform jacket while leaving the jacket intact. "Kamui…" he  
murmured. He had never seen anything so beautiful before in his life.

Kamui grinned at him, then flapped his wings with an experimental flutter. He knelt at  
the ledge, waiting for the arrival of the other /Kamui/.

The silence seemed to last forever, and when Yuzuriha opened her eyes she could not  
believe she was still alive. She looked ahead and gasped. Kusanagi stood in front of her,  
Fuuma's golden blade impaling him straight through the chest. He fell back as Fuuma  
removed the sword and she ran forward to gather him in her arms.

Fuuma turned towards the east and snarled, "Kamui." He raised the sword above his  
head, calling forth the power of /kamui/ -- the one who hunts the majesty of God. From  
his back emerged two black, bat-like wings, which he began to flap immediately and took  
off to points unknown.

"Kusa-san!" Yuzuriha cried, pulling her guardian's head into her lap. "Why did you do  
it?"

He grinned up at her, "I promised," he choked out finally, "besides…never had the  
chance to tell you…"

"Tell me?" she choked out.

"…loved you," he whispered, then blood poured from his mouth and he spoke no more.

Yuzuriha swallowed hard before reaching out to close those eyes, still staring up at her,  
still full of love. Then she stood, wiping her eyes with the back of one hand, leaving a  
bloody streak across her cheek. "Is…is anyone still alive?" she asked softly, then cleared  
her throat and asked again.

"Princess!"

Arashi. Yuzuriha ran to her friend's side, where she was slowly untangling herself from  
Sorata. "Arashi!" she cried, hugging her tightly.

"Easy, princess, we have to get help for him," she gestured to Sorata, who moaned a little  
as he was shifted. A nasty looking gash marked his right shoulder.

"I…why? He tried to kill you." Yuzuriha asked.

Arashi cupped the young girl's face in her hands. "Oh, princess, has your heart hardened  
so? Besides, he saved me from Fuu… from /Kamui's/ blow. I don't think he /wanted/ to  
fight against us."

Yuzuriha nodded. "I think there are some bandages inside the Mission. Is, is anyone else  
alive?"

"Go find the bandages, and I'll check." Arashi told her. She left Sorata's side  
momentarily, passing Kusanagi's corpse and stopped where Aoki and two of the enemy  
lay. "Aoki-san?" she whispered, falling to her knees beside the older man. Inuki guarded  
his side and regarded Arashi intently. She saw that his chest still moved, barely. "His  
leg." She murmured under her breath, moving to rip a long strip of cloth from her dress to  
form a makeshift tourniquet.

"I don't think he's going to make it," a deep male voice startled her from behind.

Arashi whirled around to see Yuuto standing shakily behind her, leaning upon a piece of  
rubble for support. "Yuuto-san?"

"It's me," he grimaced, limping to her side. "How much healing do you have?"

"A bit," she added, looking away.

"Not enough to help Aoki-san, eh?" he asked, touching her arm gently.

"No, I don't think so. Not with such a severe injury," she gasped, struggling to hold on to  
her cool exterior. Although Aoki lay at her feet, his left leg was a few feet away, at the  
side of the white-haired young man who had attacked Aoki.

"But I think you do have enough to help that young man back there, at least to knit his  
broken shoulder together." Yuuto looked down. "Let me help Aoki-san…it's the least I  
can do," he reached inside his robes and pulled out a single orange ofuda. "Last one," he  
murmured to himself.

Arashi stepped back, watching with awe as Yuuto placed the slim slip of paper upon  
Aoki's leg and began to chant. A light appeared about the wound and slowly the torn and  
ragged skin began to knit.

Yuuto finished chanting and faltered, nearly falling. Arashi caught him and helped him to  
sit down on the shattered earth.

At that point Yuzuriha emerged from the Mission, bandages in tow. "Yuuto-san!" she  
cried, running to meet them.

Yuuto grasped Arashi's hand. "Help him, before it's too late."

Arashi nodded and ran to Sorata's side.

The force shield could only hold for so long, and the laser rifles did not even seem to be  
making it past the /kamui's/ personal shields. Subaru kept the barrage going as long as he  
could, until with a force blast of his own, the /kamui/ took out the main power couplings.

Subaru pulled the earpiece from his head, wincing.

"It's ok, Subaru, this was destined." Kamui murmured, pushing himself off the roof and  
into flight.

"He's right, you know,"

Subaru turned at the sound of that deep voice, "Seishirou-san! What happened? I take it  
the frontal assault did not go well?"

He shrugged, reaching within his long black coat to retrieve a cigarette. Nonchalantly, he  
pulled one out for Subaru took and handed it to the young man. He lit his own, then  
Subaru's with one flick of his hand. "I didn't expect it to go well. We took out enough of  
the opposition, enough to satisfy prophesy anyway. Either way, it will end tonight, for  
good or for ill."

"I see." Subaru said softly.

"And now, my dear Subaru-kun, there is something you must do for me." He waved his  
hand around Subaru's face and his eyes immediately became glassy. "Good, boy,"  
Seishirou purred. "Let's go take down BEAST."

Sorata opened his eyes warily, surprised to see the three faces above him. "Um, I guess  
I'm a prisoner of war?" he suggested, then leaned towards Arashi, "And you will be my  
prison guard and eventually fall in love with me, won't you miss?"

Arashi grimaced, "Remind me again /why/ I saved you?"

Yuuto chuckled softly and even Yuzuriha managed to smile. She moved away from the  
bed and snuggled Inuki, hiding her tears within his soft muzzle.

"Where am I?" Sorata asked anxiously.

"Inside the Mission." Yuuto sighed. "Arashi has just used her powers to heal your broken  
shoulder, although it's still a messy wound." He began the pace around the small room.  
They had managed to drag Sorata and Aoki inside. Aoki was still unconscious, but Yuuto  
hoped he would awake soon. "There, there is much I must tell you."

"What are you talking about, Yuuto-san?" Arashi asked softly, double-checking the  
bandages around Sorata's neck.

"About Satsuki and the truth about myself." He murmured.

"What?" Yuzuriha exclaimed, looking up from where she sat on the floor.

"Princess," Yuuto knelt by her side, "Can you ever forgive me?"

"It depends on whatever you are talking about, Yuuto!" Yuzuriha frowned at him.

"Where to start," he rubbed tiredly at his temples. "I am originally from this world. I was  
exiled to your world by Satsuki herself, years ago."

"How? I don't understand." Yuzuriha stammered.

"You see, our worlds are close together, dimensionally speaking, yours is a world where  
magic is supreme, not science. These two worlds co-exist, but Hinoto-hime, the seeress  
of the government foresaw a time where two forces would collide, magic and science,  
fighting over the fate of both worlds."

Yuuto stood and began pacing. "However, we didn't understand what exactly we were  
fighting for. At least I didn't. Satsuki sent me away because I had broken her rules. I was  
once one of the inner circle and I fought for the existence of magic." He snorted, "She  
told me I would find plenty of magic in another dimension and she exiled me using  
BEAST, and an inter-dimensional transporter." He shuddered, "I won't tell you how hard  
it was, trying to live in a world where I didn't fit in, at first. I was found by an onmyouji,  
a dark man, who taught me everything he knew before he died. Then I became a  
mercenary, selling my skills to survive. I never expected to come back to this world."

"What did you do, Yuuto-san?" Arashi interrupted softly.

"I told Satsuki where we were," Yuuto sighed, "I thought I'd get in her good graces  
again, maybe make up for my mistakes. I had forgotten she was a heartless bitch."

"You loved her." Sorata blurted.

Yuuto whirled, "Perhaps I once did. But listen to me, even if you can't forgive my  
betrayal, princess, I can get you home. The inter-dimensional portal still exists and…."

Yuzuriha held up her hand for him to stop. "Hush. I must…please, I must consult  
Kakyou." She ran her fingers through her short hair. "I have a feeling, he can make sense  
of this." She pulled the token from the pouch where she had hidden it and left the room.

Satsuki frowned at the reports BEAST was filtering through to her. She was bound in her  
synchronization chamber, her body connected to her beloved computer by various wires  
and circuits. Her mind processed the information almost as quickly as BEAST itself.

There was damage to repair, the /kamui/ had destroyed the power coupling that supported  
the force shields and other defense structures along the main building. Power had to be  
rerouted to support the rest of the complex. One part of her brain she dedicated to media  
feeds, informing the public that there was nothing to be afraid of, this was just another  
demonstration of power, before the end of the millenium celebration which was only  
hours away.

BEAST prompted her. The Kamui's were taking their battle to Tokyo Tower, did she still  
wish the celebration to continue? "I don't care if anyone dies, just make sure that our  
Kamui is supported. I won't have my work brought down by Destiny." She commanded.

"Oh Satsuki, you are Destiny's fool," A deep male voice said from behind her.

She whirled around in her chamber, opening the main shield, but remaining connected to  
BEAST. Seishirou and his current boy-toy Subaru stood in her main control room,  
Seishirou looking cool and confident, while Subaru looked merely blank, standing a few  
feet behind the man.

"What in Bill Gates' name are you blathering on about?" she snapped. "I have work to  
do."

"Your first mistake was in thinking you could control me." Seishirou continued as if she  
hadn't spoken. "Your second was in trying to break the power of the Sakurazukamori as  
you did the Sumeragi's. I bided my time, and I waited, because I knew you could not  
outwit Fate, little girl. Your own power plays have returned to haunt you."

Satsuki slid the chamber door shut, commanding BEAST to reach out its wire tentacles  
and ensnare Seishirou. Once again it seemed she would have to inject him with the drugs  
that had kept him hers for so many years.

"Not this time, Satsuki," Seishirou only laughed as the wires grasped his arms and legs,  
holding them in spread-eagled position. "Subaru-kun, initiate project Sakura."

Subaru tapped his re-fitted earpiece. "Initiate," he commanded.

And the world went blinding…

…Pink.

To be continued.


	8. Part Seven

X:2099

A fanfic by Epeeblade

Part 7

Kamui flew desperately, leading his other self away from the BEAST complex.  
Something drove him forth, told him that this was the right way to go. In the distance he  
could see Tokyo Tower, still sparkling silver from BEAST's wiring, despite the imminent  
approach of sunset. Yes, that would do nicely, he half thought, following the instinct to  
continue to that place, as if the goal was all the mattered.

He alighted gently upon the topmost platform, then whirled, whipping his sword through  
the air as he moved. Kamui grinned, as he stood waiting for the Other to approach.

It wouldn't be long now.

Yuzuriha felt herself floating, she opened her eyes and found herself in the ocean, gentle  
waves lapped against her naked body. She rolled over and began to swim for shore. Upon  
the sand sat a sad young man. "Kakyou." She greeted softly, running her hands through  
her wet hair, shaking the tendrils out of her eyes.

"Princess," he answered.

"You have not be truthful with me." She said angrily.

"I have always told the truth, you merely interpreted it as you liked and I did nothing to  
disabuse you of your errors." He shrugged, pulling up his knees and curling his arms  
about them. "Besides, what was the point? There was no changing the future."

"Stop this!" she growled angrily. "You will tell me /now/ what is going on!"

"It's the end of our worlds." He answered, resigned. "I told you truth when I said I  
thought you were the /kamui/. The Kamui from this world would fight on behalf of  
Mother Nature, of the land that cried out for justice, the earth that was abused and  
scorched and devastated by those in the other world. Their Kamui would fight for the  
right of humanity to continue to exist."

"So when you told me to save the earth." She sighed. "Bastard," she swore under her  
breath. "What now?"

"They still battle. If Fuuma-Kamui wins, he will single handedly destroy every bit of  
human life, there will be no escaping the hunter."

"And if the other Kamui wins?" she asked softly.

"All will continue as it has been." He told her.

"Not as it's been." She snapped. "People are already dead, there is no bringing them  
back."

Kakyou stood and met her eyes. "No, princess, there is no bringing back the dead. I  
know this as well as anyone." He turned away from her, folding his arms about his chest.  
In the back of his mind he thought desperately of the child he was, and the little girl he  
would meet in dreams…and the day he discovered she would never meet him again.

"Kakyou." The princess called softly. "What do I do now?"

"Wait." He shrugged. "If your Kamui wins, then you're dead anyway."

"There's no way to stop him?"

"Princess, you are on the wrong side. There is nothing you can do to stop the being that  
was once Fuuma…"

"He no longer exists, does he?" Yuzuriha murmured as she slowly came awake in the  
Mission room where she had secreted herself.

"No…" was that Kakyou? Or her own mind? Frustrated, she pushed herself out of bed  
and walked downstairs on unsteady steps. "Yuuto." She called. "Can you get us home?"

He looked up at her, the young child-princess, standing upon the steps, clutching the  
railing in fingers that were white at the knuckles. "If I can get back inside BEAST, if she  
hasn't yet changed the codes on me."

"I can help you with that." Sorata piped up.

They all turned to look at him. "You would betray her?" Yuzuriha asked softly.

"Hey, all you guys wanna do is get home, right? What's wrong with that?" he shrugged,  
then winced at the pain in his shoulder.

"Has Aoki-san woken up yet?" she asked, almost forgetting the poor man in her haste to  
leave this distasteful world. If she was going to die, she would die in her own country, in  
her royal armor, with her friends and family at her back.

"Princess," his voice wavered over the sudden silence in the room. Yuzuriha immediately  
skipped down the stairs to sit at his side.

"Aoki," she murmured. "Do you know about your leg?"

He patted her hand gently. "Yes, but don't worry about me, my lady, I can fly  
remember?" He smiled reassuringly up at her.

That was just like him, even when injured he tried to make things better for her. The tears  
welled up and she could not stop them, just cried and let Aoki pull her into his arms,  
holding her as she sobbed.

Kamui held up his sword, parrying the first blow. /Kamui/ stepped back, calling forth  
power to his hands, which manifested in bright red sparking lightening. Then he aimed  
the sword, which sent a bolt of energy at the younger boy.

Kamui desperately threw up a shield, which soaked up most of the blast. "He was  
supposed to be weakened," he thought to himself, taking to the air, and letting his  
opposite follow him. If he kept moving, he would be harder to hit.

"Something isn't right," Sorata murmured as he and what was left of Yuzuriha's guard  
made their way through the dark and silent hallways of the BEAST complex. Arashi  
followed at his side, Yuzuriha and Inuki behind them, and Yuuto helped Aoki limp along,  
since the windmaster was loathe to use his powers once inside. They encountered none of  
Satsuki's employees; in fact, it seemed to Sorata that the entire place seemed to be  
slumbering somehow. "Where's the transporter?"

Yuuto gestured, "In room 42 in the indigo wing. Where /is/ everyone?" He was disturbed  
at the lack of security, and the darkness of the complex. At first he thought the power  
might have been cut, but the slight hum in the background and the flickering emergency  
lights belayed that.

"Fighting /Kamui/?" Sorata suggested. "C'mon, we can take a tube there."

"Are you sure?" Yuuto demanded, "It's not safe."

"What, are we gonna climb through the ventilation shaft up 50 flights? You gotta be  
kidding, Yuuts, besides, we're not safe just standing here."

Yuuto sighed, Sorata was irrepressible and he was right. However, he could not shake the  
sense of foreboding once they all boarded the elevation tube.

Holding his breath, Sorata keyed in the sequence, surprised the lift did not ask for a  
verification eye scan before beginning its motion. He tapped his ear piece, but the  
connection was dead. "Be ready for anything." He hissed, clenching his fingers into tight  
fists, reading to call upon his lightening if need be. Beside him, Arashi began to  
unsheathe her sword.

The lift doors opened.

Sorata gasped. In the transporter room, stood Seishirou, Subaru kneeling at his feet.  
However, the long tendrils of wire that marked BEAST's presence were connected to  
Seishirou's body, along his arms and legs. He looked very much like Satsuki when she  
was in communion with BEAST. But this was impossible; Seishirou could not connect  
with BEAST in such a manner.

"Ah, Sorata, I see you've been busy," Seishirou chuckled, his voice sounding deeper,  
with just a touch of a metallic ring to it.

"What are you doing here? Has Satsuki sent you to stop us?" Yuuto demanded.

"Satsuki?" the Sakurazukamori laughed again. "You mean, the late Satsuki? I assure you,  
she no longer dictates /my/ actions."

"Ding Dong, the witch is DEAD," Sorata cheered. The others glared at him, "sorry," he  
muttered.

"So what is this?" Yuuto gestured, "You've taken her place?"

"Hardly," Seishirou gestured to the wires around him, once gray, now glowed with a  
pulsing pink light. "Eveyone, meet the new world's super computer. Sakura. She is very  
pleased to meet you."

Kamui was tired, and his arms were aching. It wasn't fair, why did everything depend on  
this one fight? On him? If he thought about it too long, the very idea had once caused him  
to tremble. Now he was too worried about getting his ass kicked, as he leapt out of the  
way of his Opposite's strikes. They both had long left power blasts behind, being too  
weary to summon the energy necessary.

They had stopped flying too, and now stood on the highest platform of the tower, staring  
each other down. As if absently, Kamui could hear the crowd counting down to the new  
millenium…

10… 9…8…

"There is only one destiny!" Kamui shouted, running across the platform, his sword held  
high.

7… 6…5…

/Kamui/ raised his own to parry, anticipating the clang of Kamui's sword.

4…3…2…

But Kamui feinted, moving to cut sideways, not down…

1…

Fireworks erupted around the tower.

And Fuuma's head rolled off of the tower and into the crowd below.

Yuzuriha suddenly screamed, clutching her head as she fell to her knees.

"Princess, what is it?" Arashi gasped, falling to the girl's side.

"I…I don't know." She gasped, reaching out to clutch Inuki close to her. But the spirit  
dog eluded her grasp, padding forward to nudge at Subaru's still form. Subaru looked up  
at the dog, then turned to face Seishirou, who nodded at him.

"He, he says to tell you he's sorry." Subaru said softly to Yuzuriha, his eyes on someone  
she could not see. The princess suddenly knew he was not talking about Inuki. "And that  
he did love you. He promises to wait for you." After those words, Subaru clutched his  
own ears. "W…what happened?"

Seishirou patted the boy's head much the way Yuzuriha patted Inuki. "You're other  
powers suddenly kicked in. They've been dormant for quite a while. I'm surprised."

"Fuuma." Yuzuriha murmured, wiping the tears from her eyes. Then she gasped,  
realizing something, "If he's dead that means…"

"Kamui won," Sorata murmured in answer.

"Now, now, shouldn't you be going?" Seishirou needled. "I didn't go to all this trouble to  
power up the transporter for nothing."

"You'd let us leave?" Yuzuriha gasped.

He shrugged, "Why not? You enabled me to kill Satsuki; I should be thanking you.  
Anyway, all you have to do is step through the glowing green pillars. Then you'll be back  
in Shikoku."

Arashi did not trust him, "Yuuto, is he telling the truth?" she asked, knowing he was the  
only man who could answer that.

"Yes," Yuuto left Aoki leaning on the wall, before moving to check the instrument  
settings. "Let's get the hell out of here."

Sorata clutched Arashi shoulder, spinning her around and pressing a quick kiss to her  
lips. "Stay with me," he asked softly, reaching to brush her hair out of her eyes.

She looked up at him, puzzled. "Why?"

He frowned, then stepped back, "I'm sorry, I thought since you saved my life, you  
cared…"

She sighed, rolling her eyes exasperated before cupping his face between her hands and  
showing him what a kiss truly was.

"Wow."

"Come with us." She asked, "There is nothing to hold you here, and you'll see a place  
where real magic exists."

He grinned stupidly at her. "Well, let me think about it… of course I'll go with you."

"Then we'd better go," Yuuto growled, "before big dark and gloomy changes his mind."

Seishirou only raised his eyebrows in amusement. Once the group had made their way  
through the portal, he shut it down with a thought.

"What have you done?" a small voice demanded from behind him.

"Hello Kamui, long night, eh?" he asked, slowly turning to meet the gaze of the small  
boy.

"Subaru, are you all right?" Kamui demanded, kneeling by the young man's side,  
caressing his face gently. "I'll kill you if you've hurt him!"

Seishirou laughed softly, scratching the side of his face. As an afterthought he removed  
his sunglasses. Kamui gasped at the sight of his eyes, two pink embers glowed inside  
empty sockets. "Yes Kamui, I am one with Sakura, and you may thank Subaru for that.  
He was the one who engineered the virus that took control of BEAST. The virus that  
managed to blend magic and technology for the first time."

"You're even more powerful than she was." Kamui gasped. He suddenly wished he had  
the sacred sword back, but it had disintegrated once its purpose had been fulfilled.

"What's wrong, Kamui? Do you fear me even more? You should you know, but not  
today." He reached down and grasped Kamui's uniform jacket and held him up by it.  
"Why don't we make an arrangement?"

"An arrangement?" Kamui gasped out.

"More of a bet, if you would prefer…"


	9. Epilogue

X:2099

A fanfic by Epeeblade

Epilogue

Yuzuriha watched the children run in the fields, the sweet smell of spring tugged at her  
nostrils and refused to allow her to be sad on this day, of all days.

"Are you thinking of him?" A soft voice said behind her.

"Which one, Aoki?" she replied. "I think of them both, always."

She felt the rustling of wind and then turned to gaze at him. He reached out comforting  
arms and pulled her close to his body. "Today is your name-day." He commented  
absently, "You shouldn't be sad, neither of them would have wanted it so."

The princess leaned back into his arms. "I know. But it is good to remember them don't  
you think? I know I'll meet them again."

"But that doesn't mean you should stop living for today," he lectured.

She laughed, "You always do that, whenever I'm sad or upset, for as long as I could  
remember."

Aoki smiled down at her.

"Hey, you love birds!" Sorata's voice shrilled from beyond the little hillside. "Get a  
room!"

"What does that even mean?" Arashi murmured from his side.

Yuzuriha blushed a bright scarlet, "WE ARE NOT LOVEBIRDS!" she cried back at him,  
getting even more red from the yelling. She looked down at Aoki, not realizing she had  
stood in her haste and realized he was blushing as he stared up at her. "Um," was all she  
could say and reached down to clutch his hand gently.

Sorata hugged his new bride to him, "The healing is finally beginning," he told her,  
nuzzling her raven hair.

"Yes," she decided.

Kamui ran across the narrow ledge, leaping over the fence as if the obstacle was not even  
there and raced through the alleyway. He crouched at an old sewer grate, one that had not  
even been opened since the new order when an entirely new system of plumbing had  
gone into effect.

At first the others in the resistance were against it, no one really wanted to have their  
headquarters in smelly old sewers. But Kamui had prevailed saying it was a perfect ploy  
to fool the enemy. Besides, the tunnels were so old and vast, it made travel and possibly  
retreat much easier.

He popped the sewer grate and slipped inside, pulling the cover over him just as he heard  
the sounds of the guard and the bio reader whirring away with them. Kamui grinned to  
himself, making his way back through the tunnel to his home. Bio readers couldn't get  
past the dampners he had placed himself.

Now he smiled fondly at the designer of those dampners.

Subaru stood at their little makeshift kitchen, concentrating on mixing the ingredients to  
one of his concoctions. The young man did everything carefully, even the preparing of a  
simple meal. "How did it do?" he asked, not looking up.

Kamui started, he had forgotten for a moment Subaru's other sense. "Good. I got the  
power core he wanted. We'll have that generator up and running in no time." Cautiously  
he made his way to Subaru's side, placing one arm around his waist. "Do you regret it?"

"Joining the resistance?" Subaru queried, then answered, "No, even if it is /him/ I will no  
longer be a part of a world that causes such evil."

"Good," Kamui declared, not moving his arm from Subaru's back. He was certain he'd  
win the bet he had made with Seishirou.

"We will meet again in a year, if in that time you can  
make Subaru love you, I will let you go. If however, at  
the end of that time, he still has his feelings for me, I will  
kill you and take him."

"I suppose /you/ knew how it all was going to turn out." Yuuto accused the Dream Gazer.  
He had traveled south, once they had returned to Shikoku and he had seen the others  
safely to Yuzuriha's ancestral home. He had decided he would settle his score with the  
handsome young man who had sent them on the path towards death and destruction.

After the long drawn out argument the two had engaged in after his arrival, Kakyou had  
asked him to stay the night, saying it would be ridiculous to leave now. And Yuuto really  
had no intentions of killing the young Dream Gazer, though that had been his first  
impulse when he originally headed south.

"It still is not over," Kakyou teased, nuzzling his new lover as they lounged among  
luxurious silk cushions in the dream world.

Yuuto laughed, "No, life still goes on, thanks to that little violet eyed boy."

"Aren't you glad you didn't win?" Kakyou sighed.

"I wish Kusanagi and Fuuma didn't have to die," he acknowledged.

Kakyou shook his head. "You're lucky the death toll was so low. I foresaw the death of  
all six of you."

Yuuto shuddered, "What happened to change it? Seishirou letting us go?"

"You did, Yuuto." Kakyou whispered.

"What?!"

"In one possible time, you joined Satsuki, once again becoming her lover. You were not  
there to occupy the Sakurazukamori's attention during the battle. He killed Yuzuriha.  
And then, Arashi would try to heal Aoki instead of Sorata and both would have died in  
the attempt."

"I," Yuuto swallowed, not knowing what to say.

"Shh, love, sleep," Kakyou whispered in his ear, catching Yuuto as he fell against the  
pillows. He snuggled against him, watching the stars in his dreamscape, one shot across  
the sky and exploded in a thousand points of light. "And all is calm," he murmured,  
letting himself fall, for once, into a dreamless sleep.

The End


End file.
